Did Mr. Allison see Alice Cleaver?

[Arun Vajpey]

If you look at Bess Allison's ET bio, you'll see that most of the sources of information appear to be several newspapers, including an unidentified one. IMO, that is where the problem could have arisen because news outlets of the day had a tendency to misunderstand, misinterpret and even deliberately embellish primary source accounts.

In that bio it first says that Bess Allison got off a lifeboat dragging Loraine with her and started searching for Alice Cleaver and baby Trevor. IMO, that is just an assumption by a newspaper or similar; Bess was searching for her husband Hudson Allison, just like is reported a bit further down in the same bio. Major Peuchen, who was allowed into Lifeboat #6 to help out, later told the Montreal Daily Star clearly that Bess got out (with Loraine) to search for her husband and was directed by an officer to the other side of the ship. By Peuchen's account, Bess and Loraine seem to have gotten out of #6 around 01:10 am, moments before it started to be lowered and the officer in charge, Lightoller, could have been the one who directed her to the starboard side to look for Hudson. Or, it could have been Lowe, who helped with lowering of Lifeboat #1 at 01:05 am and then crossed over to the port side to help Moody with Lifeboats #16, #14 and #12.

Misinterpretation by a newspaper report is evident in the very next paragraph of the same bio. This might not necessarily have been the Montreal Daily Star itself but another paper getting information from a secondary source. It repeats Major Peuchen's earlier statement about Bess getting out of Lifeboat #6 with Loraine and cross over to the starboard side to frantically search for her husband (which most likely is true); but the report then 'continues' by claiming that "Peuchen last saw Bess and Loraine being hustled into a half-swamped collapsible boat out of which they tumbled out" Peuchen could never have seen that because the very first Collapsible boat to be launched, #C, did not even start to load till after 01:40 am by which time Peuchen's Lifeboat #6 had been gone for over half an hour and was far away from the sinking Titanic. Furthermore, Collapsible C was not "half-swamped" when it was lowered just before 02:00 am; that scenario describes Collapsible A, which floated free when the 'wave' caused by the Titanic's sudden lurch at around 02:15 am. Paradoxically, there is the possibility that Bess and maybe even Loraine might have been in the group of 4 or 5 women seen struggling in the water near Collapsible A by Steward Edward Brown. Brown testified at the British Inquiry and along with 2 of his fellow stewards who also survived, spoke about the final moments to The Courier News a month after the disaster. Some news outlet likely picked up bits and pieces of information from there and 'added' it to Peuchen's account earlier.

 

[Fini]

Yes. It’s crystal clear that Bess’s aim was to not be separated from her husband. So she opted to abandon the opportunity to get into a lifeboat.
Generally, during disasters, it’s common to be disoriented and do silly things due to panic. Moreover, a witness’s account, apart from journalists’ misunderstandings, can be vague and a little bit inaccurate. It’s extremely normal, because during perilous circumstances a person’s mind is totally “disconnected”.

 

[Arun Vajpey]

It’s crystal clear that Bess’s aim was to not be separated from her husband. So she opted to abandon the opportunity to get into a lifeboat.

Yes, and in the end that contributed to all three of them, including poor Loraine Allison, not being saved on any lifeboat.

I took yet another look at the circumstances under which Alice Cleaver took charge of baby Trevor Allision, who was her specific responsibility anyway. My research suggested that contrary to some reports, the entire Allison family, including baby Trevor, were sleeping in the larger C-22 cabin while Alice Cleaver and Sarah Daniels shared C-26. Cabin C-24 was either not booked by the Allisons at all or not used to sleep in by anyone.

Even if part of Sarah Daniels' story about trying to warn the Allisons is true, the fact remains that she was rescued on Lifeboat #8 at 01:00 am, while rest of the entourage were all still on board the sinking Titanic. Alice Cleaver on the other hand, had to go to the Allisons' cabin C-22 to warn the couple and collect her charge Trevor, a natural thing to do considering that the baby was her responsibility. I believe that Alice did so with full knowledge of both Hudson and Bess Allison, which means that she did "see" Hudson at the time (the OP topic of this thread). The time is important here because I believe that it was just before 01:00 am that Alice Cleaver picked-up Trevor and left, with Hudson, Bess and Loraine also getting to the boat deck a few minutes later. Only then could Bess and Loraine could have actually got into Lifeboat #6 only to get out again, as seen by Gracie and Peuchen. Lifeboat #6 was launched at 01:10 am.

But the fact that Alice Cleaver and Trevor Allison were only rescued on Lifeboat #11 (launched at 01:32 am) indicates that after collecting Trevor, Alice went down to the F-deck to warn her colleagues George Swane and Mildred Brown. From Brown's roommate Selina Cook's testimony, Mildred was a very heavy sleeper and they had a lot of trouble waking her up and convincing her that the ship was in danger and she had to dress warmly and get to the boat deck. That would have been the logical reason why Alice Cleaver and Trevor Allison could only make it to Lifeboat #11 and the fact that Mildred Brown was with them on the same boat supports this conjecture.

What I am trying to get at is that when Alice Cleaver got into Lifeboat #11 with Trevor Allison, she would have had no knowledge that the other 3 Allisons would not also be saved. In fact, given the circumstances, Alice would almost certainly have expected at least Bess and Loraine Allison to make it to a lifeboat. That being the case, the 22-year old nurse of modest means but now on her way to live and work in Canada for a wealthy family would hardly have risked "grabbing" the 11-month old family heir without the parents' knowledge and bolting to a lifeboat, like some works try to suggest. Alice Cleaver had worked as a nursemaid for rich and influential families from her teens and would have been familiar with their expectations. IMO, the entire campaign of "Alice Cleaver the vamp" that began a few months after the disaster was the clandestine work of someone with a malicious intent towards the nurse and I believe the culprit was none other than Sarah Daniels.

 

[Fini]

Thank you for the information. It’s extremely helpful for me, because it’s shedding light on a rather obscure story that took place during Titanic disaster. However I have a question for you. Bess and Hudson shared their cabin with their two children?

I’m asking you this , because I thought that the two babies shared with their respective nurses another cabin which was separated from the cabin Bess and Hudson occupied.

 

[Arun Vajpey]

Bess and Hudson shared their cabin with their two children?

I’m asking you this , because I thought that the two babies shared with their respective nurses another cabin which was separated from the cabin Bess and Hudson occupied.

The Cave List designates only Cabins C22 and C26 for the Allison family plus Sarah Daniels and Alice Cleaver. Although some sources also include cabin C24 as booked by Allisons, other consider this unlikely; or, they might have booked it but not using it for sleeping in. It is known that during their UK visit the Allisons did a lot of shopping for their new home in Westmount, Quebec; while the larger items like furniture would have been stored in the hold, it is quite conceivable that some of the smaller but expensive things might have been kept in C24 - if the Allisons had indeed booked that cabin also.

A look at BB's deckplans shows that C22 was a large suite with an adjoining bathroom and so very likely used by the entire family, including the two children. Sarah Daniels and Alice Cleaver shared the smaller C26.

The notion that the children had their "respective nurses" is totally wrong. Sarah Daniels was employed as Bess Allison's personal maid and had no responsibility towards either child; she was NOT Loraine Allison's nurse. Alice Cleaver on the other hand, was an experienced nursemaid and was specifically employed to look after baby Trevor Allison. She had worked in that capacity for rich families since her teens and had a crystal clean record. We must understand that a rich, influential and highly religious Canadian couple like the Allisions would have checked very very thoroughly into the background of a young British woman to whom they were prepared to entrust the responsibility of their only son and official family heir.

 

[Fini]

Thank you for the clarification. Now I understand some things better. Alice Cleaver was a decent person in any case. People who stick to the “murderess” story , maybe they are inspired by 1996 Titanic miniseries.

 

[Arun Vajpey]

Alice Cleaver was a decent person in any case. People who stick to the “murderess” story , maybe they are inspired by 1996 Titanic miniseries.

No, that rumour started a few months after the disaster when an "unknown" source fed that information to the newspapers.

The woman who was arrested for having killed her own child supposedly in a fit of depression (so the acquitting judge decided) was Alice MARY Cleaver, also in her early 20s.

The experienced and totally innocent nurse on board the Titanic was Alice CATHERINE Cleaver, no relation to the above.

Personally, I have no doubt that the 'source' of that malicious rumour against the innocent Alice Catherine Cleaver was none other than Sarah Daniels. The reason is uncertain but there is some evidence that not was all well between the two women right from the start; perhaps Daniels resented the fact that Cleaver was able to spend quality time with Trevor as his nurse while Daniels herself had other responsibilities. Any animosity between them would have got worse whist they shared the same room during the voyage. That would explain why Alice Cleaver did not allow Sarah Daniels access to Trevor on board the Carpathia and later Daniels got her own back by spreading vile rumours about Cleaver. Since all concerned were Londoners, I suspect that Sarah Daniels knew very well that her colleague Alice Cleaver was in no way related to the convicted child killer of the same name but it did not stop the older woman from starting the rumour.

 

[Fini]

That’s interesting. I don’t know that Sarah Daniels was a sycophant. That’s a pity, considering the tragedy she suffered. She was rescued from a deadly marine disaster. That should teach her a lesson to be more tolerant and sympathetic. But she chose a different path unfortunately. Anyway.
Since you know in depth the Allisons’ story, I was wondering, Alice was responsible only for Trevor or she was responsible for Lorraine as well?

 

[Arun Vajpey]

I was wondering, Alice was responsible only for Trevor or she was responsible for Lorraine as well?

As far as is known, Alice Cleaver was a nursemaid specifically for Trevor Allison. Neither she not Sarah Daniels had responsibility for Loraine.

 

[Fini]

I see. Thanks for the information.